(03-21-2014 10:39 AM)Niner National Wrote:  Nobody is leaving for a while. There are rumors the NCAA won't require 12 for a championship game. If they do make that change, why would the Big XII bother expanding?

They wouldn't

(03-21-2014 12:44 PM)Cnelson203 Wrote:  The Tulane comment is a good comment. TUlane may be in New Orleans, but I'll bet they compete mightily to be relevant in a city with the Saints and in a state with LSU and with a not so great athletic tradition of late. Markets ain't everything. Plus for sheer excitement and fun to play-ness, I'll take USM any day over Tulane.

This "market" thing has always been funny to me. Until a year ago we had a radio affiliate in new Orleans. Even without it you can easily listen to a southern miss football or basketball broadcast in your car while driving in new Orleans. The market argument is like getting into the ncaa. the criteria varies depending on the name on your jersey.

You can't use New Orleans, Mobile or Jackson but you could embrace the Gulfport-Biloxi market. It may not make you rich or famous but it would a little more than double your market size. Since there are no other FBS universities in that market area it should make it easier to sell. Have a minor sports event or maybe even a basketball game in the area and advertise/publicize as "South Mississippi's team" or some such.

Keep building academics. Return football to the Top 50. Maintain an attendance average of 30,000 plus. Strengthen other sports as you have basketball.

Then, even if you are not chosen for another conference you will be the pillar of Conference USA. Maybe CUSA can advance to a solid conference if we can maintain a little stability and you won't even want to leave. I see Southern Miss, North Texas, Louisiana Tech, Rice and Marshall with the potential to be Top 50 programs consistently. Add to that Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky who have usually fielded competitive teams. UTSA, Old Dominion, FAU, FIU, and Charlotte are still too relatively new to predict their success. UTEP has struggled in football but has great fans and attendance and is competitive to highly competitive in other sports. UAB is an enigma and I'm not sure of their direction.

So, is the conference as good as the original? No, but it can become strong again if we all pull together.

I think the recipe for success for CUSA programs is put together solid football teams and solid attendance but get really really good at hoops.

(03-21-2014 10:42 AM)randaddyminer Wrote:  

(03-21-2014 10:25 AM)DawgNBama Wrote:  Then what can we do to get a market (that doesn't involve moving the campus to a metro area)??

outlaw condoms

It seems their legislature is well on their way in doing that. Just never realized it was to increase the Hattiesburg MSA. Boy those guys think of everything.

(03-21-2014 05:33 PM)Thegoldstandard Wrote:  

(03-21-2014 12:44 PM)Cnelson203 Wrote:  The Tulane comment is a good comment. TUlane may be in New Orleans, but I'll bet they compete mightily to be relevant in a city with the Saints and in a state with LSU and with a not so great athletic tradition of late. Markets ain't everything. Plus for sheer excitement and fun to play-ness, I'll take USM any day over Tulane.

This "market" thing has always been funny to me. Until a year ago we had a radio affiliate in new Orleans. Even without it you can easily listen to a southern miss football or basketball broadcast in your car while driving in new Orleans. The market argument is like getting into the ncaa. the criteria varies depending on the name on your jersey.

Totally agree....it's unfortunate that 'those' that get hired to drive the 'brainwash' effect, still affect all of 'those'....it's sickening to me....the play on the field is meaningless

It's a drive to gather the herd so 'they' are heard.

This is today's world of greed.

(03-21-2014 01:11 PM)Bulldogs145 Wrote:  

(03-21-2014 12:25 PM)demiveeman Wrote:  

(03-21-2014 12:22 PM)RougeDawg Wrote:  

(03-21-2014 10:22 AM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  It's not a perception. We don't have a market. We can't count New Orleans.

We have two McDonalds now... how many is Hattiesburg up to?

Hattiesburg has a Cheddar's. Who gives a damn about McDonald's?

We have a Cheddar's 20 minutes down the road in West Monroe. It's awful though. Who would brag about having one?

Nothing wrong with Cheddars. They are very good restaurants. Your problem is yours is run by people from West Monroe.

(03-22-2014 11:22 AM)PGPirate Wrote:  

(03-21-2014 10:42 AM)randaddyminer Wrote:  

(03-21-2014 10:25 AM)DawgNBama Wrote:  Then what can we do to get a market (that doesn't involve moving the campus to a metro area)??

outlaw condoms

It seems their legislature is well on their way in doing that. Just never realized it was to increase the Hattiesburg MSA. Boy those guys think of everything.

. . . Says the guy from Mayberry.

if uab and southern miss are the last out, it will be because of deep south bias, not lack of media market. (Isn't Birmingham a pretty big city?)

those deep southern states with the funny names with too many vowels, and the questionable history that no one will let us forget.

(03-22-2014 02:40 PM)EagleX Wrote:  

(03-22-2014 11:22 AM)PGPirate Wrote:  

(03-21-2014 10:42 AM)randaddyminer Wrote:  

(03-21-2014 10:25 AM)DawgNBama Wrote:  Then what can we do to get a market (that doesn't involve moving the campus to a metro area)??

outlaw condoms

It seems their legislature is well on their way in doing that. Just never realized it was to increase the Hattiesburg MSA. Boy those guys think of everything.

. . . Says the guy from Mayberry.

You know we could use the infamous "rowan ballot box" to up our market size.

(03-22-2014 04:50 PM)Thegoldstandard Wrote:  

(03-22-2014 02:40 PM)EagleX Wrote:  

(03-22-2014 11:22 AM)PGPirate Wrote:  

(03-21-2014 10:42 AM)randaddyminer Wrote:  

(03-21-2014 10:25 AM)DawgNBama Wrote:  Then what can we do to get a market (that doesn't involve moving the campus to a metro area)??

outlaw condoms

It seems their legislature is well on their way in doing that. Just never realized it was to increase the Hattiesburg MSA. Boy those guys think of everything.

. . . Says the guy from Mayberry.

You know we could use the infamous "rowan ballot box" to up our market size.

you just defined why I registered to vote this year for the first time....yeah, I'm still in the Aves....and wouldn't trade it for anything.....yet

(03-22-2014 03:35 PM)EagleX Wrote:  if uab and southern miss are the last out, it will be because of deep south bias, not lack of media market. (Isn't Birmingham a pretty big city?)

those deep southern states with the funny names with too many vowels, and the questionable history that no one will let us forget.

Our problem isn't market size or the number of college football fans in Birmingham. It's a combination of a Board of Trustees who is more interested in drowning the program in the bathtub than growing it, kids who grow up brainwashed (the standard question they ask first graders is "Are you Auburn or Alabama?"), and most of all playing bad football. People here know good football and have no patience for a perennial loser unless they have kids at UAB, or are alums.

Put a decent team out there, one that is fun to watch and wins more than it loses and goes to a bowl for two or three years and we'll be a bit more attractive. That will also go a long way toward putting enough butts in seats that we can actually build an on-campus stadium. Until we get that facility upgrade, we're dead in the water as far as any expansion.

The BoT saw to it that we missed the last wave of expansion, and I don't see another chance in the near future.

(03-23-2014 01:49 AM)UAB Band Dad Wrote:  

(03-22-2014 03:35 PM)EagleX Wrote:  if uab and southern miss are the last out, it will be because of deep south bias, not lack of media market. (Isn't Birmingham a pretty big city?)

those deep southern states with the funny names with too many vowels, and the questionable history that no one will let us forget.

Our problem isn't market size or the number of college football fans in Birmingham. It's a combination of a Board of Trustees who is more interested in drowning the program in the bathtub than growing it, kids who grow up brainwashed (the standard question they ask first graders is "Are you Auburn or Alabama?"), and most of all playing bad football. People here know good football and have no patience for a perennial loser unless they have kids at UAB, or are alums.

Put a decent team out there, one that is fun to watch and wins more than it loses and goes to a bowl for two or three years and we'll be a bit more attractive. That will also go a long way toward putting enough butts in seats that we can actually build an on-campus stadium. Until we get that facility upgrade, we're dead in the water as far as any expansion.

The BoT saw to it that we missed the last wave of expansion, and I don't see another chance in the near future.

what he said.

USM edges out Tulane in NEW ORLEANS ? roflcopter.

Both schools are irrelevant in the city. NOLA is Saints, LSU. At least we have a visual prevalence in the city. Saying NOLA cares about USM more than Tulane is hogwash. Our news doesn't mention you. Our news sites and papers don't mention you. I rarely see USM gear/the occasional bumper sticker.

Puhhhhhlease. When your only grab at a market is a 2 hour drive, you have none.

(03-23-2014 11:05 AM)JDTulane Wrote:  USM edges out Tulane in NEW ORLEANS ? roflcopter.

Both schools are irrelevant in the city. NOLA is Saints, LSU. At least we have a visual prevalence in the city. Saying NOLA cares about USM more than Tulane is hogwash. Our news doesn't mention you. Our news sites and papers don't mention you. I rarely see USM gear/the occasional bumper sticker.

Puhhhhhlease. When your only grab at a market is a 2 hour drive, you have none.

it has to suck to not have a presence in your own town....been to too many games to witness how meaningful that "visual prevalence" is....

(03-23-2014 11:21 AM)stinkfist Wrote:  

(03-23-2014 11:05 AM)JDTulane Wrote:  USM edges out Tulane in NEW ORLEANS ? roflcopter.

Both schools are irrelevant in the city. NOLA is Saints, LSU. At least we have a visual prevalence in the city. Saying NOLA cares about USM more than Tulane is hogwash. Our news doesn't mention you. Our news sites and papers don't mention you. I rarely see USM gear/the occasional bumper sticker.

Puhhhhhlease. When your only grab at a market is a 2 hour drive, you have none.

it has to suck to not have a presence in your own town....been to too many games to witness how meaningful that "visual prevalence" is....

In the stands, 100% our fans have given us the big **** you.

But bars still fly our flags, houses still fly our flags, people wear Tulane clothing, stores still sell Tulane stuff. At least I have that to cling to :(

But our actual attendance is dreadful. Live in a city with way too much going on to waste time for bad athletics. C'est la vie.

(03-23-2014 11:05 AM)JDTulane Wrote:  USM edges out Tulane in NEW ORLEANS ? roflcopter.

Both schools are irrelevant in the city. NOLA is Saints, LSU. At least we have a visual prevalence in the city. Saying NOLA cares about USM more than Tulane is hogwash. Our news doesn't mention you. Our news sites and papers don't mention you. I rarely see USM gear/the occasional bumper sticker.

Puhhhhhlease. When your only grab at a market is a 2 hour drive, you have none.

We don't have a piece of New Orleans now because we suck and because you kicked us out of your conference. There was a time when USM was arguably the #2 team on the Northshore, behind LSU. The same could be said about St. Bernard. And Tulane "home" games againt us were de fact USM home games from about 1990-2010. I'm talking >90% USM fans in the stands, including 1998.

All of this ended the minute Tulane decided to press the gas pedal down 20% instead of just 10%.

Regardless, USM contributes far more to the welfare of the people of New Orleans than Tulane does, and this has been true for decades.

(03-23-2014 04:31 PM)AndreWhere Wrote:  

(03-23-2014 11:05 AM)JDTulane Wrote:  USM edges out Tulane in NEW ORLEANS ? roflcopter.

Both schools are irrelevant in the city. NOLA is Saints, LSU. At least we have a visual prevalence in the city. Saying NOLA cares about USM more than Tulane is hogwash. Our news doesn't mention you. Our news sites and papers don't mention you. I rarely see USM gear/the occasional bumper sticker.

Puhhhhhlease. When your only grab at a market is a 2 hour drive, you have none.

We don't have a piece of New Orleans now because we suck and because you kicked us out of your conference. There was a time when USM was arguably the #2 team on the Northshore, behind LSU. The same could be said about St. Bernard. And Tulane "home" games againt us were de fact USM home games from about 1990-2010. I'm talking >90% USM fans in the stands, including 1998.

All of this ended the minute Tulane decided to press the gas pedal down 20% instead of just 10%.

Regardless, USM contributes far more to the welfare of the people of New Orleans than Tulane does, and this has been true for decades.

TUlane is the largest employer in the city and it's students donate over 500,000 hours of community service every year, this year 750,000. My graduating year it was 1,000,000 (Katrina relief). So that sentence is not only wrong, it's offensively wrong.

And I'm proud of your fans for having cars. Glad you can make the 2 hour drive to support your school at AWAY games. Because that's what a 2 hour drive is. AWAY.

(03-23-2014 05:33 PM)JDTulane Wrote:  

(03-23-2014 04:31 PM)AndreWhere Wrote:  

(03-23-2014 11:05 AM)JDTulane Wrote:  USM edges out Tulane in NEW ORLEANS ? roflcopter.

Both schools are irrelevant in the city. NOLA is Saints, LSU. At least we have a visual prevalence in the city. Saying NOLA cares about USM more than Tulane is hogwash. Our news doesn't mention you. Our news sites and papers don't mention you. I rarely see USM gear/the occasional bumper sticker.

Puhhhhhlease. When your only grab at a market is a 2 hour drive, you have none.

We don't have a piece of New Orleans now because we suck and because you kicked us out of your conference. There was a time when USM was arguably the #2 team on the Northshore, behind LSU. The same could be said about St. Bernard. And Tulane "home" games againt us were de fact USM home games from about 1990-2010. I'm talking >90% USM fans in the stands, including 1998.

All of this ended the minute Tulane decided to press the gas pedal down 20% instead of just 10%.

Regardless, USM contributes far more to the welfare of the people of New Orleans than Tulane does, and this has been true for decades.

TUlane is the largest employer in the city and it's students donate over 500,000 hours of community service every year, this year 750,000. My graduating year it was 1,000,000 (Katrina relief). So that sentence is not only wrong, it's offensively wrong.

And I'm proud of your fans for having cars. Glad you can make the 2 hour drive to support your school at AWAY games. Because that's what a 2 hour drive is. AWAY.

...please forgive our idiots....

The barriers mentioned for Southern Miss did not stop ECU.